Dear Emmie Blue by Lia Louis

A special thank you to NetGalley, Simon & Schuster Canada, and Atria Books for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

When she was sixteen, Emmie Blue released a red balloon attached with her name, email address, and a secret. Having discovered the balloon on a beach in France, Lucas Moreau immediately emailed Emmie, thus sparking a life-changing friendship.

Fourteen years later Emmie has another secret: she is desperately and hopelessly in love with Lucas and as a result is neglecting her life. Emmie has stopped trying to find out who her father is, has given up on trying to salvage any sort of a relationship with her mother, and barely knows the elderly lady that she rents a room from.

When Lucas tells Emmie he has a big question to ask, she's sure it is the declaration of love that she's been waiting for. But instead, Lucas drops a bombshell on her.

What an endearing and lovely book! I'm such a sucker for British rom-coms and although there are definitely elements of this being a romantic comedy, it is so much more.

With a narrative structure that relies on flashbacks—versus alternating perspectives or a past to present format—the story is fully fleshed out and well-paced. Through the multi-layered plot, Emmie experiences growth in all of her relationships. Even the one with herself! There is an underlying darker storyline that seeps through. It is a little unexpected given the cute cover and lighthearted synopsis but it helps propel the narrative.

The characters are complex and layered, yet also full developed. They give the story an emotional depth that took me by surprise. Although there's some cheeky comedic bits, there are some tender and beautiful moments too. For fans of My Best Friend's Wedding, I highly recommend!

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LIA LOUIS was the 2015 winner of Elle magazine’s annual writing competition and has been a contributor for a blog for aspiring writers. She previously worked as a freelance copywriter and proofreader and is the author of Somewhere Close to Happy and Dear Emmie Blue.

Louis lives in the United Kingdom with her partner and three young children. 

The Half Sister by Sandie Jones

A special thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

  

A family in the throes of grief is upended when a stranger arrives at their door. 

Every Sunday, sisters Lauren and Kate have lunch with their newly widowed mother. At one of these lunches, a woman by the name of Jess shows up asking to see Henry, her father. She is armed with DNA test results and claims to be their half sister. 

Kate and Lauren must come to terms that their parents have a dark past. As the fallout starts, it becomes clear that they all have lives built on lies and their family is not as perfect as it appears.

The Half Sister is told from the perspective of two sisters: Kate, a celebrity gossip maven who is desperate to have a baby with her adoring husband, Matt; and Lauren, a frazzled mother of three with an abusive husband, Simon. Jones writes Kate as being paranoid and distrusting, whereas she pens Lauren as more sympathetic towards Jess. 

It is human nature to make assumptions and Kate and Lauren do this to each other. We all want what we perceive other people to have without actually knowing how much of it is real. What we see externally we compare against our assumptions and perceived ideas of happiness, success, etc. Lauren and Kate really need each other but are divided by their notions of one another. 

Like The Other Woman, mothers play a huge role in the story. More specifically, how mothers prioritize the health and well-being of their children over everything in their lives. Women get lost along the way.

While the book is being categorized as  thriller, this is misleading. At best it is a family drama with a bit of suspense—it just doesn't quite thrill. Unfortunately, the miscategorization of this book is not the only problem. The narrative is rather repetitive and the characters lack depth. Things are touched on and not given the page time they deserve. For example, Simon was a necessary evil and contributed to the overall plot, but I wanted more from Simon and Lauren's storyline—perhaps this was a conscious choice due to the sensitive subject matter. I also wanted to learn more about Harry and felt that he wasn't fleshed out enough. 

That being said, Jones is a wonderful writer. She engages her reader in short succinct chapters and redeems herself with the ending. 

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SANDIE JONES has worked as a freelance journalist for over twenty years, and has written for publications including the Sunday Times, Woman’s Weekly and the Daily Mail. Her debut, The Other Woman was a Reese Witherspoon x Hello Sunshine Book Club pick.

She lives in London with her husband and three children. 

Take a Hint, Dani Brown by Talia Hibbert

A special thank you to Edelweiss and Avon Books for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Danika Brown is a workaholic PhD student that doesn't have time for a relationship, nor has had much luck with either sex. Partaking in some witchyness with her best friend, Sorcha, Dani asks the goddess, Oshun, for a casual partner to ahem...release some of her stress on a regular basis.

Zafir Ansari is the security guard in the building Dani works at. Seven years ago, he was a professional rugby player but stopped playing because of the depression he suffered when his father and brother were killed in a car accident. When not at work, Zaf volunteers his time to coach a youth rugby team. He has also started his own nonprofit, Tackle It, to destigmatize mental illness and teach young athletes how to stay in touch with their emotions.

When a video surfaces of Zaf rescuing Dani from a fire drill gone amiss, they become a social medial sensation—they even have their own hashtag, #DrRugbae. Zaf asks Dani if they can pretend they are a couple because it is good publicity for his nonprofit and she agrees with the hopes of Zaf becoming her plus one in the bedroom. But there's a problem: Zaf is actually a secret romantic and he is determined to tackle Dani's cold heart. Could this be the universe telling her to take a hint?

Talia Hibbert is back with her second instalment of the Brown Sisters!

In Take a Hint, Dani Brown, Hibbert's main characters are well-developed, complex, and not without their flaws: Zaf has a tragic past that he must learn to embrace, and although Dani's work ethic is admirable, she had difficulty with her work/life balance. Dani also struggles with relationships—she doesn't like letting people in. In a leading man, Zaf is the perfect combination of being sensitive and vulnerable, yet intelligent and strong. 

These sexy and diverse romances are exactly what we need more of. This book was just as good as, if not better than, Get a Life, Chloe Brown. It too captured my heart with its engaging, hilarious, and steamy prose (fans self). I'm also a total sucker for a fake romance.  

Talia, you are a true talent! I was utterly charmed and I can't wait to read Eve's story. 

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TALIA HIBBERT is an award winning author who believes that people of marginalized identities need honest and positive representation. Her interests include makeup, junk food, and unnecessary sarcasm.

Anna K: A Love Story by Jenny Lee

A special thank you to Libro.fm Audiobooks and Macmillan Audio for an audiobook listening copy.

At seventeen, Anna K. is at the top of Manhattan and Greenwich society, and the apple of her father's eye. Although, she prefers the company of her horses and Newfoundland dogs over her perfect, yet boring, boyfriend, Alexander W. 

Anna may be scandal-free, but those around her seem to attract more drama than they can handle: Anna's brother, Steven, and his girlfriend, Lolly, are in the midst of a sexting scandal; Kimmie, Lolly's younger sister, is struggling to be a regular teen after an accident derailed her Olympic ice dancing dreams; and Steven's best friend, Dustin, is madly in love with Kimmie however, the feelings are not mutual. 

Anna orbits around her friends and manages to stay out of trouble. That is until the night she meets notorious playboy, Alexia "Count" Vronsky, at Grand Central Station. He Anna's polar opposite—the quintessential bad boy with the reputation to match. They fall madly in love, with neither of them having actually experienced true love before. When a shocking revelation threatens to tear them apart, Anna is forced to question who she really is and if anyone really knows her at all, including herself.

Decadent and soapy, Lee's modern retelling of Anna Karenina is a slow burn, high-society, teen drama/love story. And while I agree with the Gossip Girl comparisons (revolving around the lives of privileged upper-class adolescents living in Manhattan's Upper East Side), I found Anna K totally unique, a fresh take on the beloved classic. 

Despite its huge cast, every character is well rounded and highly developed with each having a distinctive voice. Lee utilizes multiple points of view to further flesh out the story which takes place over a school year. Although there is plenty of fluff, Lee tackles some weightier topics: addiction, familial and cultural expectations, socialism, sexism, depression, and the effects of social media.  

Anna K is a reimagined story about first love and first heartbreak. Highly recommend! 

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JENNY LEE is a television writer and producer. Jenny has previously published humour essay collections and middle-grade novels, and Anna K is her debut YA novel. 

Lee lives in Los Angeles with her husband and 135-pound Newfoundland, Gemma.

Honeymoon Alone by Nicole Macaulay

A special thank you to NetGalley and BooksGoSocial for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

For 26-year-old teacher Lucy Gray, life revolves around her family, friends, and her grade three students. Lucy is dependable and responsible, she always puts everyone's needs before her own. 

At her sister's 80s themed wedding, Lucy gets ditched by her fake date (a coworker who is pretending to be her boyfriend) after he makes out with her cousin in the photo booth. The only highlight is the psychic who advises Lucy to follow fate and listen to what the universe is telling her. 

Lucy decides last minute to take a trip to London—the very trip her sister booked as a honeymoon plan B. The only problem is that she has to pretend to be her sister. That should be easy, right?

In London, Lucy's getaway is more complicated to pull off that she imagined. As the lies are piling up, she struggles to follow the signs. Lucy is learning that leaving everything to chance can not only be dangerous, but can also jeopardize her happily ever after.

With relatable and endearing characters, new author Nicole Macaulay has penned a charming book! Her writing is sharp and funny—there is so much witty banter. Although the premise is a bit silly and contrived at times, it does err on the side of whimsy so I'll overlook it. 

Honeymoon Alone is quirky, endearing, and perfect for the holidays. But be warned: you will want to go to England after reading it. 

NICOLE MACAULAY has a Bachelors degree from Boston College and a Masters of Fine Arts from Emerson College. She worked in television, news media and currently works in marketing. 

Macaulay lives in Rhode Island with her husband, four children and an adorable tuxedo cat named Jack.

What You Wish For by Katherine Center

A special thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Samantha Casey adores the Kempner School and its namesake owners, Max and Babette. She loves being the librarian at their elementary school—it is a beautiful Victorian building that is brimming with creativity and warmth.

The school suddenly loses its beloved leader and a new principal is named to take his place. He turns out to be Duncan Carpenter, a former colleague of Samantha's that she had such an unrequited crush on, she had to move away and start over. 

Duncan is nothing like he was. Gone is the funny and charming man, in his place is a militant leader obsessed with safety—he is destroying Max's legacy by turning the school into a prison. Sam is determined to save Kempner, the place that has become her home, before it becomes a thing of the past. 

Things You Save in a Fire was my first Katherine Center book and I was blown away.The pace and flow of the narrative was spot on and the writing was effortless and completely captivating. What You Wish For did not quite have the same effect. The story starts off as being very repetitive, going in circles, so it takes more time than necessary for story to flesh out. There is also a campiness about it which I especially noticed with Alice—she didn't add any real value to the narrative and I wanted more out of her relationship with Sam. These reasons are the difference between three and four stars.

But you really can't fault Center's writing. It is beautiful and careful when dealing with some of the more serious scenes, yet lighthearted and delightful. And I adored Samantha Casey immensely. Not just because she's a librarian with what sounds like a wicked sense of retro style, but because she is quirky and just plain good. 

This book is exactly what we need more of: finding joy. Thank you, Katherine, for this enchanting read that's full of heart, hope, and whimsy. I can't wait to read what you publish next!

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KATHERINE CENTER is the bestselling author of How to Walk Away and Things You Save in a Fire, as well as Happiness for Beginners and The Lost Husband (a movie starring Leslie Bibb and Josh Duhamel).

Center lives in Texas with her husband and two children.